Coffee ‘reduces dementia risk’

COFFEE keeps people firing at night. Now scientists say it keeps their brains firing in their twilight years.

Sweden, Vastra Gotaland, Goteborg, Barista pouring warm milk into coffee

IT keeps people firing at night. Now scientists believe coffee keeps people’s brains firing in their twilight years.

Researchers say people who drink between three and five coffees a day are up to one-fifth less likely to contract Alzheimer’s disease. An overview of recent studies has concluded that “regular, lifelong, moderate coffee consumption” can reduce the risk of developing the disease by up to 20 per cent.

The report, presented at the Alzheimer Europe Congress in Glasgow, says caffeine and polyphenols — both found in coffee — reduce the deterioration of brain cells, particularly in regions involved in memory.

Polyphenols are also found in fruit, vegetables, olive oil and red wine and are credited with the health benefits associated with the Mediterranean diet.

The report says caffeine also reduces inflammation in the brain and helps prevent protein accumulations between and within brain cells. These buildups, known as amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, are considered hallmarks of Alzheimer’s.

Co-author Arfan Ikram, of Erasmus University Rotterdam, said the claims had been borne out in most epidemiological studies. Three to five cups a day produce the “optimum protective effect”, he said.

The report was published by the Institute for Scientific Information on Coffee, which was established over 20 years ago by major European coffee companies including Nestlé, Lavazza and illycaffè. The institute says it is “devoted to the study and disclosure of science related to coffee and health”, and “encourages researchers to publish all results, regardless of the outcome”.

Australian public health researchers said there was concern in the scientific community about claims related to high-caffeine drinks. But this generally did not extend to regular coffee consumption.

Deakin University drug researcher Peter Miller said energy drink companies were “skewing the research base”, more to avoid regulation than to promote health benefits. “But that’s the upper edges of caffeine consumption in extreme levels,” he said.

“You’ve always got to be dubious about the need for private companies to go off and fund research — usually it’s about an agenda to boost their share prices. (But) moderate caffeine consumption doesn’t seem to be problematic.”

Studies over the past few years have found coffee can boost memory and exercise performance and help ward off cancer. Alzheimer Europe vice chairwoman Iva Holmerova said the latest revelations were “very encouraging”.